The invention relates to a door locking device for electrical apparatuses, in particular household appliances. One such door locking device is known from EP-A 0 347 592, whose subject is likewise an invention assigned to the present Applicant. In this previously known locking device, a lock is provided on the electrical apparatus and a locking tang is provided on the appliance door. The locking tang in this known appliance is a lever pivotably supported on a pivot joint. On its end remote from the pivot joint, this go lever has a hook part. With the hook part, the lever reaches through a locking slide, disposed longitudinally displaceably in the lock, in an engagement opening. The back side of the hook part, which forms the face end of the lever, is embodied here as a guide chamfer, so that as the lever is introduced into the lock it moves the locking slide into its closing position. To keep the lever with the hook part in the closing position, the lever is spring-loaded. When the door has been closed, the hook part subjects the locking slide to the spring force and engages a suitably embodied rear-engagement part of the lock from behind.
A disadvantage here is that the properly locked appliance door can be opened from inside, or if the spring mechanism is defective, only by exerting a great deal of force, because the leverlike locking tang with the hook part has to be destroyed in the process. This is particularly disadvantageous in appliances of large capacity, such as washing machines with large tubs. It is in fact impossible to preclude a child at play from crawling into such a large tub and then locking the appliance door. The child inside the machine is as a rule no longer able to open the appliance door because it is not strong enough to destroy the locking tang that has the hook part.
Another problem with electrical apparatuses with revolving parts, such as washing machines, dryers or spin dryers with a rotating drum, is that the appliance door must be solidly closed both during operation and after the appliance is turned off until the revolving parts come to a stop. It is already known from the prior art disclosed in EP-A 0 347 592 to provide the aforementioned longitudinally displaceable locking slide in the lock. This locking slide can be displaced back and forth between an opening position and a closing position. Provisions are also disclosed there for securing the locking slide in its closing position until the revolving parts come to a stop. However, in the known locking devices, the problem is that when the appliance door is open, the locking slide can easily be moved from outside from its opening position to its closing position using household tools, without the appliance door actually being closed. Hence there is a possibility of undesired manipulation of the locking slide. In conjunction with this undesired possibility of manipulation, there is in particular the risk that after the locking slide has been manipulated into its closing position, the revolving parts of the machine can be set into motion while the appliance door is open. If these revolving parts then run at high rotary speed with the appliance door open, they present a considerable risk of injury. For instance, there is the risk that body appendages extended into a revolving part will be caught and actually torn from the body.